Stretch releasing adhesive strips are known in the patented prior art. U.S. Pat. No. 4,024,312 (Korpman), for example, discloses a highly conformable adhesive tape including a highly extensible and elastic backing film laminated with an adhesive layer. The adhesive strip is easily stretchable and may be removed from a surface by stretching the strip lengthwise in a direction substantially parallel to the surface.
German Patent No. 33 31 016 discloses a high elasticity, low plasticity adhesive film based on a thermoplastic rubber and tackifying resins, wherein the adhesive bond can be broken by stretching the adhesive film in the direction of the plane of the adhesive bond.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,516,581 (Kreckel et al.) discloses a removable adhesive strip having a highly extensible and substantially inelastic backing coated with a layer of pressure sensitive adhesive and a non-adhesive pull tab to facilitate stretch removal. The adhesive strip can be removed from most surfaces without damaging the substrate by grasping the non-adhesive pull tab and stretching the strip in a direction substantially parallel to the surface of the substrate.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,231,962 (Bries et al.) discloses a removable foam adhesive strip. The adhesive strip comprises a backing including a layer of polymeric foam and a layer of pressure-sensitive adhesive coated on at least one surface of the backing.
A commercially available stretch releasing adhesive tape strip is the product sold under the trade designation COMMAND by 3M Company, St. Paul, Minn.
Stretch releasing adhesive strips are used to mount a variety of items such as hooks, calendars, posters, and signs on a surface. While stretch releasing strips generally work well and can be removed cleanly without damaging most surfaces, certain fragile surfaces may be damaged during the removal process if the adhesive strip is not removed carefully.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,626,931 (Lühmann) discloses an adhesive film strip having a design intended to reduce the likelihood that the surface will be damaged during the stretch removal process. In particular, the adhesive film strip is provided with an end terminating in a pointed, serrated, convex, curved or wavy shape such that the bond area decreases at the end of the adhesive film strip.